3 New Vande Bharat Chair Car Trains To Be Launched This Week, Including Nagpur–Pune; Sleeper Version Coming Soon
The decision on the other two routes is still under review, a railway ministry official mentioned. The likely routes are Belgaum–Bengaluru and Katra–Amritsar.
At least three Vande Bharat Chair Car trains are likely to be inaugurated on August 10, with one of them connecting Nagpur and Pune, according to officials familiar with the matter. The final decision regarding the other two routes is still pending, a railway ministry official said. As of Wednesday, the proposed routes are Belgaum–Bengaluru and Katra–Amritsar.
The nearly 900 km journey between Nagpur and Pune will take around 10 hours. At present, the Duronto Express is the quickest on this route, completing the trip in about 13 hours. The Vande Bharat train will depart from Ajni station, which is located around 3 km from the Nagpur Railway Station, situated on the Delhi–Chennai line.
Among the currently running Vande Bharat trains, the Delhi–Varanasi route covers the longest distance, over 750 km, while the Tatanagar–Brahmapur service has the longest travel time at nine hours and 25 minutes.
“Three new trains are almost certain to be flagged off on August 10. One of the routes will be Ajni–Pune,” an official confirmed. “Approvals for the other two routes are still awaited.” The railway ministry has not released any official details about these trains or the routes as of now.
The Chair Car services have been a success, recording near 100% occupancy across 144 routes all over the country. Maharashtra alone has 22 Vande Bharat services. Nagpur is already linked to Secunderabad, Bilaspur, and Indore via Vande Bharat, while Pune operates Vande Bharat trains to Hubballi and Kolhapur.
With the Chair Car network expanding steadily, Indian Railways is also preparing to launch the much-awaited Vande Bharat Sleeper variant, the third category after Chair Car and Vande Metro.
Vande Bharat Sleeper Launch Likely Soon: Demand Already High
Indian Railways is likely to introduce the Vande Bharat Sleeper soon, with the ministry in the final stages of route selection, according to sources. Initially planned for an August 10 rollout, the launch is currently under review.
Over the past few weeks, several requests for Sleeper train allocations have been submitted to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s office, including proposals from Bihar and West Bengal, both election-bound states.
In June, the Nagpur Division of the central zone submitted a proposal for India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper, but it is still being evaluated.
On Wednesday, BJP MP Captain Brijesh Chowta from Dakshina Kannada met the minister, requesting that the Sleeper Vande Bharat be allotted on the Mangaluru–Bengaluru route.
“There is massive demand for the Sleeper Vande Bharat, and the ministry will be finalising the route soon,” said a railway official.
The Vande Bharat Sleeper will feature three classes—AC First Class, AC 2-Tier, and AC 3-Tier—with a total seating capacity of 1,128 passengers.
Delhi–Patna Route Also in Consideration
One of the most likely routes under consideration is Delhi–Patna, although Indian Railways has not made an official confirmation.
In 2024 and earlier this year, a special Vande Bharat Chair Car was operated on this route during the festive season, covering about 1,000 km in 11 hours and 30 minutes—the longest journey for any Chair Car service so far.
The first Sleeper rake, manufactured at Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, has already completed successful trials and was allotted to the northern zone in February.
Earlier this year, the ministry announced that 10 Vande Bharat Sleeper trains would be delivered by December. However, as of July 31, only one train set had been produced.
These new trains are transforming travel comfort and convenience for millions of passengers across India, with commuters now expecting faster, safer, and more premium rail journeys.
